Hujan, Estranged to headline Rocktoberfest Borneo 2017

MIRI: The inaugural Rocktoberfest Borneo music festival will be kicking off with an impressive line-up featuring Malaysia’s top rock bands, talented Bornean musicians and several international artistes performing live on stage this Oct 6 and 7 here.

The festival will take place at ParkCity Everly Hotel, which has hosted a number of music events such as the Borneo Jazz Festival and the Miri Country Music Festival.

What’s slated to be the biggest beachside rock festival in Borneo announced its final artiste line-up today that’s guaranteed to thrill rock fans of all ages.

“Headlining Rocktoberfest Borneo 2017 are two very successful and well-known Malaysian bands — Hujan and Estranged, whose lead singers come from Miri and Kota Kinabalu, respectively.

“It’ll be an exciting homecoming show of sorts for Hujan’s Noh and Estranged’s Rich, whose Bornean backgrounds have garnered a huge following for their bands in the local community. Hujan last played in Noh’s hometown of Miri in 2010, while Estranged had their last show there in 2013,” Rocktoberfest Borneo 2017 public relations consultant Elfie Jane told The Borneo Post yesterday.

Also performing will be top national acts XPDC, Oh Chentaku, OAG, Bunkface, Kyoto Protocol, Monoloque, Pesawat, Sevencollar T-shirt, and others, who will be sharing the stage with Bornean bands such as Masterpiece, Nicestupidplayground, Me Gusta, and Polar.

“Rocktoberfest Borneo 2017 is promising to be a rock-packed weekend as guests will be entertained by over 30 bands, including international artistes from the Philippines, Singapore and Brunei,” she said.

The news that Filipino heavy metal band Slapshock is part of the festival has created a buzz among their Malaysian fans, as this year marks the band’s 20th anniversary and the launch of their ninth album, she added.

“The two-day festival will also offer a myriad of interesting side activities for everyone, whether you’re coming with your friends or little ones.

“Foodies are able to enjoy an extensive variety of traditional, local and modern bites in the ‘food village’, while music enthusiasts can check out a special area where different traditional musical instruments will be on display,” Elfie said.

Taking place in this area is also the ‘TradKulture Jam’, which features acoustic sessions with accomplished Bornean maestros teaching the basics of traditional Bornean music and offering a chance to experiment with them.

The festival’s programme also includes a space for tattoo enthusiasts to get inked by Borneo’s skilled tattooists and various exciting onsite showcases by the festival’s sponsors and brand partners.

Fully supported by the Miri City Council and Sarawak Tourism Board, Rocktoberfest Borneo aims to become an annual music event to attract more visitors to the city of Miri.

“We hope that this outdoor music event will be able to create a globally recognised landmark for the state.

“We also hope that Rocktoberfest will support local talents by providing a music platform for them to deliver their music to an international audience,” said Sarawak Tourism Board acting chief executive officer Mary Wan Mering.

The event is endorsed by Miri mayor Adam Yii Siew Sang.

“In line with the branding of ‘Miri Resort City’, we are appreciative of all events that are capable of boosting the local hotel and tourism industry, and we believe RTBF17 (Rocktoberfest Borneo 2017) has already garnered plenty of interest among music fans alike.

“I hope RTBF17 will be a popular success and I am looking forward to more similarly exciting festivals being here, to add to the already exciting yearly calendar of events in our city,” Yii said.

An event for all ages, the inaugural Rocktoberfest Borneo is organised by NorthEastern Group and supported by Miri City Council and Sarawak Tourism Board.